1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electronic equipment with a display element such as a liquid crystal panel mounted thereon.
2. Description of Related Art
Recently, a display element such as a liquid crystal monitor capable of checking a photographing image is mounted on an image pickup apparatus such as a digital still camera.
FIG. 16 is an exploded perspective view of a conventional image pickup apparatus. As shown in FIG. 16, the conventional image pickup apparatus is composed of a body unit 100 and a rear unit 200. The body unit 100 includes an image pickup portion 101 in which a lens, an image pickup element, and the like are combined, and a printed board 102 with a signal processing microcomputer and the like mounted thereon. Furthermore, a metal sheet 101a, a flexible printed circuit 101b, a screw 101c, and the printed board 102 are placed on a rear surface side of the image pickup portion 101. An electric circuit unit (not shown) composed of a battery mounting portion, a power supply circuit, and the like is placed on an inner side of the printed board 102.
On the other hand, the rear unit 200 is fixed to the body unit 100 so as to cover the image pickup portion 101 and the printed board 102. Furthermore, the rear unit 200 includes an opening covered with a transparent plate made of a resin. Furthermore, a liquid crystal monitor 202 capable of displaying an image is provided on an inner surface (opposed to the image pickup portion 101) of the rear unit 200, and a display surface of the liquid crystal monitor 202 is placed so as to be checked visually from outside through the opening 201.
Thus, when the rear unit 200 is mounted on the body unit 100, a rear surface of the display surface of the liquid crystal monitor 202 is placed so as to be opposed to the image pickup portion 101 and the printed board 102. The arrangement configuration of the above-described liquid crystal monitor is disclosed, for example, by JP 2004-248101 A.
However, according to the configuration shown in FIG. 16, the rear surface of the image pickup portion 101 has a number of convex and concave portions, since the metal sheet 101a of the image pickup element, the flexible printed circuit 101b connecting the image pickup portion 101 to the printed board 102 electrically, the screw 101c for fixing the metal sheet 101a to a lens frame, and the like are placed. On the other hand, the rear surface (opposed to the body unit 100) of the liquid crystal monitor 202 is substantially flat. Thus, large gaps and small gaps are formed between the rear surface of the liquid crystal monitor 202 and the surface of the lens frame. In such a configuration, when a pressure is applied from outside to the display surface (outer surface of the rear unit 200) of the liquid crystal monitor 202, the liquid crystal monitor 202 is deformed. In particular, when a pressure is applied to a large gap portion between the rear surface of the liquid crystal monitor 202 and the surface of the lens frame, there is a possibility that the liquid crystal monitor 202 may be deformed enough to damage the liquid crystal monitor 202.